Speaking of Israel and Prophecy…

Theology and Politics from a Conservative, Biblical Perspective

I recently watched a video about an hour in length with Tom Hughes and John Haller discussing aspects of prophecy and how things may connect to Israel today with so much going on there.[1] The two discussed how archaeologists have unearthed quite a bit of things at the Temple Mount (or under/near it), which proves a Jewish Temple did exist on that site in antiquity. They’ve also uncovered other things that point to Israel being the Jewish homeland with Jerusalem as its capitol.

There was a good amount of conversation regarding the issues not only related to Israel but how the subject of Israel itself has divided many within Evangelical Christianity. This is clearly true and because of it, we also see anti-Semitism growing at an astounding pace. This is due to the historical fact that “Late in the third century AD, the intellectual elite of the Christian faith decided to ‘allegorize’ certain Scriptures regarding the nation of Israel rather than take those Scriptures literally.“[2] Because of this, “Replacement Theology” was born, which essentially states that God has replaced Israel with the Church and that God no longer will have anything to do with Israel as a nation. This is in spite of the fact that the Scriptures seem clear that God has an eternal covenant with the nation of Israel (not individual Jewish people), and will one day, recreate that nation and Israel will lead all other nations on this earth. This will happen in the Millennial Kingdom. But because of this errant theology, a growing anti-Semitism has risen and taken over aspects of evangelicalism.

I’ve said this before, but my support for Israel is for what God is going to accomplish with and through that nation. Nothing has been transferred to the Church that belongs to Israel. While I believe today’s leaders within Israel are largely godless, God is still using that nation and its leaders to accomplish His purposes, just as He used Nebuchadnezzar, Darius, Cyrus and others centuries ago to accomplish His purposes then. One day, a remnant of Jewish people will wake to the reality of who Jesus is and become His followers. These will make up the final remnant of Israel into the Millennium.

Continuing on with the video, Tom and John discuss aspects of Romans 11 and the grafting in of the natural olive branches that had previously been removed (Israel). Paul also mentions that the wild olive branches (Gentiles/The Church) should not be arrogant toward the natural olive branches because God could do the same thing with the wild olive branches as He did with the natural olive branches. Haller segues from this to the mystery of God where “all Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:26).

Both Tom and John are of the opinion that God is working within the Jewish community softening the hearts of Jewish people now and He is doing so with all the new archaeological discoveries related to the Temple Mount among other things. During the video conversation, both men said they have eaten with orthodox Jewish families. I’m hoping if, while they shared a meal, either or both of them tried to evangelize those Jewish people? Did they just sit around the table and wonder in awe at the Jewish families and their children who seemed to have a great knowledge of the Torah?

The Torah will not save anyone and never has saved anyone, however it does point to the One who is able to save. Did they take the time to use the Torah to point to the One that it is actually about? I know it is difficult because it’s like being in a room of Democrats and Republicans and trying to have a civil discussion. It often cannot happen because of the distinct differences between the two groups that often devolve into acrimony and verbal attacks. The apostle Paul experienced a good deal of this from Jews as we read in the book of Acts.

Whether God is or is not beginning to soften the hearts of orthodox Jews is not the real point, in my opinion. He will accomplish His will with that nation made up of Jewish people whether it is slowly over time or very quickly. The fact that young Jews are enamored with the Torah does not, in my mind, equate to God softening their hearts, but it could.

Jewish people – even non-orthodox Jews – have always loved their culture, which includes the Hebrew Scriptures. Too many Jewish people though, are simply social Jews (though many Jewish people are simply atheists or New Agers).

Social Jews love the gatherings, the feasts, the Torah and discussions that emanate from these things. But, do they appreciate Jehovah/Yahweh? Not usually. I’ve talked with Jewish people and even tried to witness to them. Their anger is not far below the surface too often when it comes to the Bible, especially the New Testament and Jesus. Of course, they reject the New Testament entirely and Jesus Himself. At the same time, because of the blindness that God has sent their way, they cannot even see the reality of how the Torah, the prophets and the Law all point to Jesus.

Certainly prophecy offers hope to believers doesn’t it? It also certainly can be used as a means of evangelizing the lost of this world, especially orthodox Jewish people who are very familiar with the Hebrew Scriptures. Prophecy points us to what God is going to accomplish as Daymond Duck put it recently.[3] But it should not be the all-consuming thing that many make it out to be. It is part of the whole picture but not all of it. We all look forward to one day being with our Lord and Savior, don’t we? However, we have a job to do while we are here and we need to take that most seriously.

When Jesus issued His command regarding the Great Commission of Matthew 28, did He essentially say that we need to spread the Gospel to every nation, making disciples of them and focus our efforts on prophetic discourse? Today, everyone has an opinion on what’s going to happen next. Will Turkey, Russia and the rest all line up for the Northern Invasion of Ezekiel 38-39 next week? Did they find a red heifer yet? If so, did they sacrifice it yet? Did they start building the Tribulation Temple yet? Is the Antichrist alive? Is he this guy, that guy or that other guy over there?

I also think of Jesus’ words in Matthew 23:37-39.

37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling! 38 Look, your house is left to you desolate. 39 For I tell you that you will not see Me again until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.’

It seems to me that the bulk of Jewish people who become saved during the Tribulation will be saved during that time, largely because of the 144,000 Jewish evangelists God seals and sets aside for His work in evangelizing other Jewish people at the beginning of the coming Tribulation (Revelation 7:2-8). Many of those saved because of the empowering of those Jewish evangelists will likely be martyred for their newfound faith in Jesus. Those will not become part of the final Jewish remnant who go into the Millennial Kingdom to become the final Israel since they died. Only those who survive the entire Tribulation period (and many will go into hiding with the Lord taking personal care of them), will become part of that final Israel.

The Jewish people during the Tribulation who become believers in Jesus and make it to the end of the Tribulation will be primed to begin looking for Jesus the Messiah whom they will long to see Him. When He finally does make His appearance in the sky, they will mourn because of their previous unbelief (Ezekiel 20:43), while at the same time, be fully relieved that their Savior/Messiah is come (Matthew 24:30).

I’m becoming more and more convinced that part of our growth in Christ must include a growing understanding and appreciation for the weight of our sin; the sin that put Jesus on the cross. Without that, we cannot really grow in Him. I’m not saying that we need to go around with a woe is me attitude or that Jesus wants us to wallow in shame and guilt. Not at all. What I’m saying is that a growing understanding and appreciation for exactly what our sin cost Jesus is a foundation of our greater understanding of just how much He loves us! If we do not have that appreciation, how can we honestly grow in love for Him? This is something seriously lacking in the nation of Israel and has always been part of their problem (Ezekiel 20).

So too will those who are alive and saved at the time of His coming to this earth physically mourn for just how much their sin cost Jesus, which translates to just how much He loves us. They will mourn how they spent generations as a nation rejecting God. The rest of the “tribes” of the earth will also mourn for their own rebellion. They will finally realize that judgment has arrived. While mourning does not necessarily imply repentance, it certainly could for some. Imagine living as an atheist only to one day see the God you continually rejected coming in the clouds. Talk about shock and awe…

So, what’s the summation of all this regarding the discussion between Tom Hughes and John Haller? Well, there is far more to being a Christian than just studying and discussing prophecy and I say this not to undermine the longed for physical return of Jesus. I say this because Paul and others in Scripture have provided us with an outline of just how we are to live our lives and while studying and understanding prophecy is part of it, it is not the entire picture.

If given the choice between having a greater understanding of prophetic discourse and exactly how to live the Christian life so that my words, actions and thoughts please Jesus, I’d rather have the latter, than the former. All the talk of prophecy is based on knowledge, yes, but we know that simply having knowledge can puff up (1 Corinthians 8:1). It seems with all the roundtables, the discussions, the conferences, the books and everything else, I just wonder if what Daniel meant was not necessarily a good thing when we learn that in the end people will be running to and fro and knowledge will increase (Daniel 12:4).

But you, Daniel, shut up these words and seal the book until the time of the end. Many will roam to and fro, and knowledge will increase.

I believe the above verse largely refers to the time during the Tribulation when people will seriously want answers because of all that is happening throughout the earth at that time. But I also wonder during this day and age, if people are simply chasing after this, that and the other thing because it piques their interest and they want answers to puzzles in order to satisfy their own curiosity?

In the end, after listening to Tom and John’s discussion for nearly an hour, I’m not sure I’m more educated about anything. There was talk and the sharing of ideas but nothing significant or earthshaking largely because no one knows dates and sometimes we can’t even pin down the order of upcoming events. This has become a new norm where people gather on YouTube and “chat” about this, that or the other thing where prophecy is concerned.

Yes, study prophecy, by all means because it is in Scripture. Understand it in its most plain and ordinary sense, not in an allegorical sense. Then use what you learn to evangelize the lost. In that way, fulfill the Great Commission of Matthew 28. If we aren’t using what we know about prophecy as a means of drawing people to Jesus, then we may be wasting our time studying it in the first place.

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9M0VonPIgKY

[2] https://www.raptureready.com/2025/08/27/spiritual-blindness-and-the-nation-of-israel-by-the-gospelist/

[3] https://www.raptureready.com/2025/08/30/what-hes-done-by-daymond-duck/

Theology and Politics from a Conservative, Biblical Perspective

Source: https://studygrowknowblog.com/2025/08/02/speaking-of-israel-and-prophecy/